Mindset

As another year of Money, Mindset and Marketing is fast approaching, it never fails to surprise me how much time and effort goes into planning and hosting a live event.

Hosting an event can be a fantastic way to build your brand, establish stronger relationships, and gain credibility in your space. Events are fun because people come together in person, and that creates much better opportunity for connection. Having said all of that, when you transition from a small event to a planning a big event, you need to be prepared to play in the big leagues!

Avoidance is most definitely a form of self-sabotage and unfortunately, as human beings, it’s ridiculously common. We all act like ostriches with our heads stuck in the sand and we stubbornly avoid taking action on all kinds of things.

As a business coach, I see entrepreneurs commonly avoiding things like their numbers, creating content, confrontation with employees, taking risks and so much more. The list goes on and on.

It’s not what the opportunity can do for you, it’s what you do with the opportunity.

I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw it. This woman I know had put together a stunning graphic to celebrate an opportunity that had been presented to her. She branded the graphic in stellar fashion. Along with the beautiful visual celebration, she had a press release touting her accomplishments and the opportunity.

I want you to imagine you’re sitting in your seat on a flight to Paris. The flight has just taken off, and the captain has yet to turn off the seatbelt sign. You really need to use the restroom but the flight attendants are still strapped into their jump seats by the door. You feel trapped, you really want to get up but you know the rule is, you can’t use the restroom until the Captain turns off the seatbelt sign.

Suddenly, the person behind you stands up. He boldly walks past the flight attendants and into the restroom.

Every once in a while you may unexpectedly meet someone who is filled to the brim with knowledge and information. Who knew that simply striking up a casual conversation with a stranger next to you could be so valuable!

That happened to me recently, I was struggling to get my over-packed suitcase into the overhead storage on a plane when I met the founder of an angel investing network. Angel investors are people who invest money in businesses to help them get started. Think Dragons Den or Shark Tank without all the hype.

I originally published this way back in 2011, but it is easily my most popular post I’ve made, and for good reason.

I want to revisit the subject of free services, for those who have yet to encounter this article, and for those who have forgotten this important lesson. This is timeless advice and here is a stern look at why free can sometimes be way too expensive.